Jose Rosales and crew get residence halls ready for students and are getting on call throughout the semester. Photo by HDS Photography
As the fall semester begins, thoughts of being an incoming freshman come to my mind. I recall fondly moving into my room in Newsom Hall, the excitement of this new experience and also the beauty of this campus.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with some of the people who play a major role in making Colorado State University what it is, especially at this time of year. They are the team members from various departments in Housing & Dining Services, from maintenance to moving crews.
Throughout our conversations, one thing that stood out the most to me was the sense of community and pride they took in their various positions. José Rosales, one of the supervisors, summed up just how much they care about the students who are moving into the residence halls: “We help create a vision of what students want to have in their rooms.”
During the summer months, maintenance crews see hundreds of people move in and out of the halls for conferences, which have become increasingly popular for CSU. They are flipping rooms almost daily to accommodate the different groups coming through.
For the five weeks leading up to the start of the semester, the crews all work overtime, putting in endless hours to get everything just right. Besides helping prepare rooms for 6,600 students living in the residence halls, there are also about 1,700 students living in University-owned apartments.
Always a need
With classes in full swing, their busy season does not end. Between relofting beds and doing minor repairs, Maintenance will be receiving an abundance of work requests up until October and many will require all hands on deck. When emergencies arise, specialty skills do not matter, with everyone showing up whether it be the middle of the day or the middle of the night.
“What I really admire about CSU is how the teams come together,” commented Herschel Butler, a maintenance technician.
As we chatted, not one person complained, but continually commented on how hard each other works and how their goal was to make sure the students were comfortable during this transition to the CSU family.
In reflecting on my conversation, it became evident that every member of the staff puts students’ needs above all else. I was impressed with the dedication, care, and pride that each individual felt about their job. CSU and the students are fortunate to have so many committed members on their team.
Makenna Green is the editor of CSU Life.
